Oscar De La Hoya in hospital with COVID, out against Belfort, Holyfield in

Oscar De La Hoya is out of his Sept. 11 return to the ring against Vitor Belfort. He announced from his hospital bed on Twitter that he has COVID. 

Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya was supposed to return to the boxing ring on Sept. 11 against MMA star Vitor Belfort, but that fight is off as De La Hoya is recovering from COVID-19.

De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) last fought in 2008 in a losing effort against Manny Pacquiao. At 48 years old, the Golden Boy Promotions CEO felt the urge to re-enter the fight game as a competitor. He was going to headline a Triller Fight Club event with Belfort, but he announced on Friday, Sept. 3, that he has COVID-19.

“Wanted you to hear directly from me that despite being fully vaccinated, I have contracted Covid and am not going to be able to fight next weekend,” read De La Hoya’s Tweet. “Preparing for this comeback has been everything to me over the last months, & I want to thank everyone for their tremendous support.”

ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported that Evander Holyfield will replace Oscar De La Hoya against Vitor Belfort on the Sept. 11 Triller Fight Club card

A video message from De La Hoya in the hospital with a hoarse voice accompanied his message in his tweet.

ESPN’s Mike Coppinger broke the news in a tweet approximately 20 minutes before De La Hoya’s tweet. He reported that retired former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield is taking De La Hoya’s place. Coppinger also stated that the fight could be moved out of California if the state’s athletic commission doesn’t approve Holyfield vs. Belfort.

With a week to go before the Triller Fight Club card, it’s hard to imagine moving the show from the Staples Center to another location on such short notice. Fans have paid for tickets, and the event has been heavily promoted.

This is a strange turn of events, to say the least. Hopefully, Triller will provide an official update sometime soon.